Diamond Carat Weight

How big is a 1ct Diamond?

One of the most common questions asked is, how big is a 1ct diamond? The answer is approximately 6.4mm for a round brilliant cut diamond. The key here is approximately.This is because a carat is a measurement of weight not dimension of height or width. This is why different cut diamonds can have different sizes. Brilliant Round cut diamonds have one of the best spreads (diameter) of all cuts. This plus the brilliant round cut produces the most light return, make it the most popular choice. A half carat is around 5.2mm. This is a small, but noticeable difference.

Does Diamond Carat Size Sparkle?

One it comes to sparkle, Cut is king. However, having a larger diamond gives the light more surface area to reflect off of, allowing for larger flashes of light and fire. More surface area can reflect more light. However, it is important to know that a smaller well cut diamond will perform better than a larger poorly cut diamond. In fact, diamonds with a better cut will appear larger to the eye than a poorly cut diamond due to the reflected light. So it is a bad idea to buy diamonds that are too shallow, because even though they have a larger spread (diameter) they will leak light rather than reflect it. Another factor with carat size and ratio of diamond size to prong size. With very small diamonds they are set in prongs that are larger in ratio, which can cause the diamond to have less sparkle.

What is Best Carat Size to Buy?

So what size diamond should you buy? This is tough question because the carat size make a large difference in price, especially at "magic numbers" such as 0.5ct, 1ct, and 2ct. Price per carat rises exponentially, meaning the larger the diamond, the larger the price per carat and total price. What this means is that there is no perfect size diamond. What you can afford for you budget is the best size. The most important is you get a well cut diamond. At Kyllonen we provide only the best cut diamonds in the industry. Below you can find charts of what are common diamond sizes purchased depending on your country.